English Learning: From "1984" to "Protopia"

 


Yesterday in our Confident English Training community session, we embarked on a fascinating journey with George Orwell's dystopian novel, "1984." We took a complex paragraph and, using AI, transformed it into an easily digestible B1 level. This immediate change sparked a wealth of associations and discoveries!

Our curiosity led us to explore "1984" itself, and then surprisingly, to discover that Aldous Huxley (author of "Brave New World") had been Orwell's French teacher at school. It was a delightful "zoom out" moment!

This deep dive into literature, history, and the power of adaptation then led us to ponder a term between "utopia" and "dystopia." AI introduced us to the futurist concept of "protopia" – the idea of a society that's incrementally, continuously improving.

This notion perfectly encapsulates our approach at Confident English Training: making steady, connected progress in your English skills, one "protopian" step at a time.

If you're eager to improve your English in this engaging and effective way, I invite you to learn more.

I'm looking forward to some very productive conversations!

~ Tanya



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

Did Ebenezer Scrooge Become Enlightened on Christmas Eve?

Image
  As Westerners, we're familiar with the plot - ( n.)  the cause-and-effect relationship between events in a story -  of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol", but to what degree do we understand some deep Buddhist teachings through the transformation of its main character, Ebenezer Scrooge? The novel begins with Scrooge being "a cold-hearted miser", a stingy, tight-fisted, unpleasant man who does not care for anyone and is only interested in money and wealth. On a night like last night, Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, wrapped and weighed down by heavy chains and money boxes symbolising greed and selfishness. Marley warns Scrooge that he must change and show penance, and warns him that three Spirits will visit and offer him the chance of reforming in order to escape the same fate. The Ghost of Christmas Past visits first, and we learn of Scrooge's circumstances when he was younger, and how he beca...
Read more

Building Long-Term Success in Learning English

Image
  In   this week's video , we're zooming in on a most powerful and helpful word:   diligence . Do you know what it means and how we use it in English? Before watching, can you think of any synonyms? Perhaps it means something different in your language. In Mexican Spanish, for example, "diligencia" is used to mean a simple errand or task. But in English, it has much wider and far deeper connotations. In its adjective form,  diligent  means doing things a particular way (watch the video to find out how), and as a noun, it can also be a practice consisting of 4 interconnected aspects. However, simply knowing what these aspects are isn't enough to become proficient in English. They need to be embodied and experienced in order to bear fruit. This is why Confident English Training offers a holistic approach to English language development, inviting you always to pause, to look more deeply, to see more clearly, and to understand. Watch the video here Let me ...
Read more

Cut Through Your English Plateau: 3 Pillars to Real Progress - 🌎 LIVE Training

Image
  Is English (or making progress with English) a source of stress for you? Join this LIVE Training to learn the 3 fundamental pillars of effective language skills development and the 3 priorities to focus on for true transformation. When: Tuesday, 21 May at 13:00 hrs (MST) US Mountain Standard Time Register here This training is for you if: you've been studying English on and off or continuously for years but feel stuck at an intermediate level you're unable to express your ideas clearly and effortlessly in English you experience speaking and/or writing in English as a challenge or an obstacle holding you back from realising your life dreams you're looking for a scientifically-proven pathway to improve your English skills independently you'd like to be part of a supportive and thriving English-speaking community you'd like continuous and personalised feedback and support from an experienced English language teacher to adults BONUS 1: Discover the winning stra...
Read more